DECLARATION OF THE 7TH NEDLAC SUMMIT
9 November 2002
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A PLATFORM FOR
GROWTH
THE NEDLAC CONSTITUENCIES, government, business, labour and
community, meeting at the 7th Annual NEDLAC Summit taking place on
9 November 2002 after a successful World Summit on Sustainable
Development, hosted in Johannesburg, AGREE THAT:
1. The outcomes of the WSSD form
a sound platform for global sustainable development that can
contribute to economic growth, job creation and decent work for
all, greater social equity and the protection of the
environment.
2. The past year has seen NEDLAC
agreements being reached that bear testimony to the importance of
social dialogue and partnership in South Africa's own development.
In particular, much work has been accomplished towards laying
firm foundations on which future economic growth can be built.
These agreements include:
- The Information Communication Sector Summit Agreement
- The Civil Society Summit Declaration
- The Financial Sector Summit Declaration
- The Labour Law Amendments
- The Occupational health and Safety Accord
- Preparations for the WSSD
- Constructive engagement on the dti's IMS
- MOU on Plastic Bags
- Draft protocol for future sector summits
THE NEDLAC CONSTITUENCIES RECOGNISE THAT:
3. Despite these singular
achievements, much work remains to be done to improve consensus
building on key national issues, including:
- Job creation
- Investment
- Economic growth
- Black economic empowerment
- Poverty alleviation
- Combating HIV / AIDS
- Improving the economic efficiency of South African firms
- Privatisation and the restructuring of the public sector,
and
- Taking up the challenges and opportunities arising from NEPAD
and the AU
- The social dimensions of globalisation
THE NEDLAC CONSTITUENCIES COMMIT THEMSELVES TO:
4. Making every effort to
seek consensus on solutions in the above strategic areas to meet
the major socio-economic challenges facing the country,
- Through the Growth and Development Summit
- Through Sector Summits
- Through agreement on a comprehensive strategy for combating
HIV-AIDS
- Through the partnership with the International Labour
Organisation
THE NEDLAC CONSTITUENCIES REAFFIRM:
5. That the shared vision
expressed in the NEDLAC Summit Declaration of 2000 - and
consequently also the Declaration of 2001 - remains valid and still
represents the broad goals worthy of being achieved through social
dialogue.